Burunche’s Blog

Feasts and Sabbaths (Exodus 23:14-19)

“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘These are My appointed feasts, the feasts of the LORD that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is to be a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.

Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:14-28; Numbers 28:16-25; Deuteronomy 16:1-8)

These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times. The Passover to the LORD begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of the same month begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread (That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven is to be eaten; see Exodus 12:14-20 ) to the LORD. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any ordinary work. For seven days you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day there shall be a sacred assembly; you must not do any ordinary work.’”

The Feast of Firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)

And the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.

On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD, along with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour(Two-tenths of an ephah is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of flour) mixed with oil—an offering made by fire to the LORD, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter hin of wine.( A quarter hin is approximately 0.97 quart or 0.92 liter of wine.) You must not eat any bread or roasted or new grain until the very day you have brought this offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live.

The Feast of Weeks (Acts 2:1-13)

From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count seven full weeks. You shall count fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. (Pentecost)

Bring two loaves of bread from your dwellings as a wave offering, each made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with leaven, as the firstfruits to the LORD. (Two-tenths of an ephah is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of flour).

Along with the bread you are to present seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

You shall also prepare one male goat as a sin offering and two male lambs a year old as a peace offering. The priest is to wave the lambs as a wave offering before the LORD, together with the bread of the firstfruits. The bread and the two lambs are to be sacred to the LORD for the priest. On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly, and you are not to do any regular work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live for the generations to come. When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident. I am the LORD your God.’”

“For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is to be a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.” God is laying out His plans for His people, and those plans include taking every seventh day as a day for worship and rest. Why are Sabbaths so important?

1. God knows that without regularly designated days of worship, His people are going to wander off into idolatry.  
2. God has created the human body, and He knows it needs regular periods of rest.
3. Worship confers enormous benefits on the participants, strengthening them, encouraging them, helping build interpersonal relationships and relationship with God, and refreshing them. This is a brief list; those who lead worship and who study it can add far more.

Having established regular Sabbaths, God moves on to institute a total of seven annual feasts. Today we are looking at four of them-Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits, and the Feast of Pentecost (Weeks). “The Passover to the LORD begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of the same month begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread (That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven is to be eaten; see Exodus 12:14-20 ) to the LORD. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any ordinary work. For seven days you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day there shall be a sacred assembly; you must not do any ordinary work.’” Again, God wants His people to celebrate and to rest, refraining from work to mark the holiness of the celebration.

‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD, along with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil—an offering made by fire to the LORD, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter hin of wine. You must not eat any bread or roasted or new grain until the very day you have brought this offering to your God. God wants His people to offer the first results of their harvests, taking the risk that these grains might be all they will collect.

Finally, God reminds His people, “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident.” God is always concerned about the poor and the foreigners, reminding the Israelites that they were strangers and slaves in Egypt; therefore, they should have compassion on other strangers.

APPLICATION: In recent years, many of those studying chronic stress have come to realize that Sabbaths and scheduled days of rest are critically important. Until the last sixty years, most parts of America did observe Sabbaths; stores were generally closed, and only those involved in essential services such as health care were at work. On Sundays, small towns particularly basked in peace. Over the course of the last several decades, Sabbath laws have been eliminated. There are valid arguments on both sides; however, scheduled times of rest remain necessary, even if those rest days don’t necessarily occur on Sundays.

We also need regular times of worship, times when we can focus on God and not on ourselves. Worship elevates us and transforms us. While we no longer have to offer burnt offerings, we can still offer God those things most valuable to us, our time and our talents. Let us worship God in the spirit of holiness and let us truly rest.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, thank You for ordaining regular periods of rest and worship. Help us to honor You with our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Restrictions against the Unclean

“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings that the Israelites have consecrated to Me, so that they do not profane My holy name. I am the LORD.

Say to them: ‘For the generations to come, if any of your descendants in a state of uncleanness approaches the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD, that person must be cut off from My presence. I am the LORD.

If a descendant of Aaron has a skin disease or a discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything defiled by a corpse or by a man who has an emission of semen, or whoever touches a crawling creature or a person that makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be— the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening. He must not eat from the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.

When the sun has set, he will become clean, and then he may eat from the sacred offerings, for they are his food. He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, which would make him unclean. I am the LORD. The priests must keep My charge, lest they bear the guilt and die because they profane it. I am the LORD who sanctifies them. No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired hand eat it. But if a priest buys a slave with his own money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.

If the priest’s daughter is married to a man other than a priest, she is not to eat of the sacred contributions. But if a priest’s daughter with no children becomes widowed or divorced and returns to her father’s house, she may share her father’s food as in her youth. But no outsider may share it.

If anyone eats a sacred offering in error, he must add a fifth to its value and give the sacred offering to the priest. The priests must not profane the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the LORD by allowing the people to eat the sacred offerings and thus to bear the punishment for guilt. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”

Worthy Offerings

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites and tell them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or any foreign resident who presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, whether to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on your behalf. You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.

When a man presents a peace offering to the LORD from the herd or flock to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without blemish or defect to be acceptable. You are not to present to the LORD any animal that is blind, injured, or maimed, or anything with a running sore, festering rash, or scab; you must not put any of these on the altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD.

You may present as a freewill offering an ox or sheep that has a deformed or stunted limb, but it is not acceptable in fulfillment of a vow. You are not to present to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut; you are not to sacrifice them in your land. Neither you nor a foreigner shall present food to your God from any such animal. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and flawed.’”

Then the LORD said to Moses, “When an ox, a sheep, or a goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering made by fire to the LORD. But you must not slaughter an ox or a sheep on the same day as its young.

When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, offer it so that it may be acceptable on your behalf. It must be eaten that same day. Do not leave any of it until morning. I am the LORD. You are to keep My commandments and practice them. I am the LORD. You must not profane My holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy among the Israelites. I am the LORD who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD.”

God is now laying down His law regarding offerings. At first, we might wonder why God is being so picky? But God is trying to teach His people that everything in life is sacred, especially His offerings, and that they are to handle those offerings carefully. Even in a priest’s household, offerings may only be eaten by those who are ritually clean. Eating meat from an animal found dead or torn by wild animals is forbidden. God warns that presumptuous priests who violate His laws will bear their own guilt and will die.

Those within a priest’s family plus slaves whom he has bought or who have been born within the household may eat meat from offerings. A widowed daughter who has returned to her priestly father’s house may eat the offering meat as well, but only if she is now part of the household.

Animals for offerings should be perfect. Although animals for free will offerings may have blemishes, that is the only exception. Later as things deteriorate spiritually, God will rebuke the Israelites for bringing defective animals for sacrifices. Animals eight days old and upwards may be sacrificed; however, the parent and the offspring are not to be sacrificed in the same day. Thank offerings and peace offerings are to be eaten the same day, leaving nothing to rot. “If anyone eats a sacred offering in error, he must add a fifth to its value and give the sacred offering to the priest. The priests must not profane the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the LORD by allowing the people to eat the sacred offerings and thus to bear the punishment for guilt. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”

Once more, God is trying to protect the sanctity of His offerings, so that people will not abuse them or take them for granted.

APPLICATION: Today, we no longer need to make offerings or search for perfect lambs, sheep, goats, rams, or oxen. WHY? Because when Jesus Christ came and lived as a sinless perfect man and then died as an innocent victim, he became the ultimate perfect sacrifice for our sins. What the blood of lower animals could not accomplish, Jesus accomplished in himself.

No matter how good we believe ourselves to be, we all sin. 1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Only the blood of a sinless man shed on our behalf is sufficient to remove the stain of our sins. But praise God, Jesus has done for us what we could never do!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we’re stuck! We are caught by our own sins and cannot free ourselves. Thank You for sending Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that we might live righteously if we will only confess our sins and allow You to change us. Please change us into Your image. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Regulations for Conduct of Priests

“And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘None shall defile himself for the dead among his people, except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother; also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself. Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a chief man (master/husband) among his people, to profane himself.

‘They shall not make any bald place on their heads, nor shall they shave the edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh. They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God. Therefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy. The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.

‘He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head (in mourning) nor tear his clothes; nor shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother; nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord. And he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot—these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife. Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I the Lord sanctify him.’ ”

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron, saying: ‘No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God. For any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long, a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch. No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the Lord. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy; only he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest he profane My sanctuaries; for I the Lord sanctify them.’ ” And Moses told it to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

God is now turning His attention to His priests. Before examining God’s rules, let’s consider the behavior of many pagan priests at the time. Pagan priests might wear strange garments or very few garments. In Exodus God has already ordered that His altars will be approached by ramps and not by steps and for priests to wear linen breeches under their robes so that there will be no opportunity for the priests to exhibit their genitalia as they ascend to the altar. Pagan priests might gash or tattoo themselves. And pagan priests might engage in public ritual sex with temple prostitutes in fertility rites. The list of perversions is endless. Here God is saying that He doesn’t want His priests resembling pagan ones in any fashion.

Here ”defiling oneself for the dead” includes touching the dead, being in the same room with a dead body, walking over the grave, or even sharing in the funeral feast. God is the Giver of Life and He doesn’t want His priests involved with the rituals of death apart from the relatives mentioned.

Priests were not allowed to pull out chunks of hair as a sign of grief or to shave the edges of their beards in a particular pattern or to make ritual cuts on themselves. Priests were to marry only chaste women. Were the daughter of a priest to prostitute herself and be caught, she would be punished by burning.

The high priest had to fulfill very high standards. “He shall not uncover his head (in mourning) nor tear his clothes; nor shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother; nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord. And he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot—these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife. Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people.”

Finally, descendants of Aaron with any defects would be able to eat the showbread; however, they would not be able to make offerings of any sort or enter the most holy parts of the tabernacle.

APPLICATION: Several years ago, we had the chance to speak with an instructor at a well-known missionary training organization that saw missionaries from nearly 200 groups pass through their programs each year. Our friend told us sadly that in his more than 35 years of experience, he had never seen church, para-church, or mission groups that ran along Christian principles UNLESS the top leadership were fully committed to those principles. Our friend pointed out that the leadership of any organization sets the tone for that organization. When leadership are righteous, others are far more likely to remain righteous. But when leaders are corrupt, those below them feel they are safe in doing whatever they want. All we need to do to see the proof of this is to look at the political situation in most countries.

When God was establishing the Aaronic priesthood, He wanted to make sure that His priests would inspire worshipers. Many of those worshipers were coming from shaky spiritual backgrounds and would readily revert to idol worship given the slightest opportunity. God’s plan was to bring these people out of the darkness of paganism into the light of His holiness, and only stringent measures would work.

The question for us personally is this: how holy are we willing to allow God to make us? Are we willing for God to change us or are we hoping that God will give us a break and allow us to continue to practice our pet sins?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we aren’t sure we want to be holy, but we know You want us to be. We give You permission to change us into Your likeness. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Penalties for Breaking the Law

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Again, you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘Whoever of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who gives any of his descendants to Molech, he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. I will set My face against that man, and will cut him off from his people, because he has given some of his descendants to Molech, to defile My sanctuary and profane My holy name. And if the people of the land should in any way hide their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him, then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech.

‘And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the Lord who sanctifies you. ‘For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him.

‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death. The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death. They have committed perversion. Their blood shall be upon them. If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. If a man marries a woman and her mother, it is wickedness. They shall be burned with fire, both he and they, that there may be no wickedness among you. If a man mates with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them.

‘If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a wicked thing. And they shall be cut off in the sight of their people. (Put to death) He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his guilt. If a man lies with a woman during her sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has exposed her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from their people. (Put to death)

‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister nor of your father’s sister, for that would uncover his near of kin. They shall bear their guilt. If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness. They shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.

‘You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them. But I have said to you, “You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, and you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.

‘A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.’ ”

Reading this list of penalties, you quickly realize that God is not messing around! Offering children to Molech, sexual misconduct, witchcraft, and fortune-telling – all these things were punishable by death. Being “cut off from his people” really meant being put to death. Why is God so strict about these regulations?

God is dealing with people who will push the envelope as far as possible; nothing short of a death penalty will restrain them. And God knows better than do the Israelites what they will encounter in Canaan. God wants His people be holy, but He also knows how morally and spiritually weak they are.

APPLICATION: We might read this list and think, “So what? I’m not going to do any of this stuff.” But are there some modern equivalents? Although a parent might not hand his/her baby over to be burned at the statue of Molech, are we guarding our children and their innocence? As a life-long afficionado of cartoons, I can testify that children’s cartoons today are generally far more violent than in previous decades. Some of the cartoon characters are frankly demonic, teaching children to enjoy the ugly and the cruel. What about allowing children access to the internet or Netflix? Child traffickers are enjoying great success recruiting on social media; are we protecting our children sufficiently? Even if we put parental controls on our computers, have our kids already figured out how to get around those controls? A child’s innocence is a rare and precious thing and easily lost. Once lost, it will be gone forever.

Why not teach your children that there are other means of entertainment apart from electronic media. Hobbies, sports, board games, language learning, and even household chores can be fun for kids if you will spend time with them while they are doing those things. And social media can isolate, robbing children-and adults- of the close personal contact we all need. Going back to the cartoons, there are several cartoons that describe children as selfish brats dependent on their parents for even simple things such as peanut butter sandwiches. These children have had things done FOR them but not WITH them.

My parents raised three children on a busy Midwestern farm. Not only did we learn how to drive tractors or care for animals, but we also learned how to cook, clean house, and do our own washing and ironing. My mother taught me how to sew, how to knit, and how to crochet. The summer I was eighteen, my parents took off on a trip to New York state on a few minutes’ notice. For the next week, my brothers, ages fifteen and thirteen, ran the farm while I ran the household. I had begun handling the housekeeping during the summer at age eleven when my mother was commuting to school to complete her Bachelor’s Degree. There were no cell phones in those days, and thrifty people didn’t waste money on long distance phone calls, so helicopter parenting wasn’t an option. My parents were free to travel because they could trust us, trust that had been built over years of working with us.

As our parents taught us to work, they also inculcated their moral and spiritual values. I remain deeply grateful for that early teaching because even when I wandered away from God as a young adult, that teaching pulled me back from the brink of disaster on many occasions. Because of that early background, I will haul myself out of bed in the middle of the night to do emergency operations or care for a dying patient.

My original title for this devotional was “God is not Santa Claus.” We want Santa to give us things no matter how bad we have been. But one song about Santa goes “He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness’ sake!” Traditionally, Santa will bring bad children only lumps of coal.

Santa Claus is a fictional character; however, the Lord God Almighty, Creator of the Universe, is very real. God wants us to live happy healthy lives, but He also wants those lives to be holy. Let us pursue holiness for ourselves and for our families!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives and to teach our children to do so also. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

‘You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you.

‘Whoever lies carnally with a woman who is betrothed to a man as a concubine, and who has not at all been redeemed nor given her freedom, for this there shall be scourging; but they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. And he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, a ram as a trespass offering. The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord for his sin which he has committed. And the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.

‘When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten. But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the Lord. And in the fifth year you may eat its fruit, that it may yield to you its increase: I am the Lord your God.

‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying. You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.

‘Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness.

‘You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord.”

At first, the injunctions against breeding of livestock between different species, mixtures of grain, and mixtures of material might seem weird. But David Guzik in his Enduring Word Commentary gives a fascinating explanation:

“The mixing of these things – different species of livestock, seeds, and fabrics – was usually seen by ancient pagans to be a source of magical power. God wanted Israel to have no association with these pagan customs.

 “Partly, to teach the Israelites to avoid mixtures with other nations, either in marriage or in religion; which also may be signified by the following prohibitions.” (Poole)

Since those pagan customs are no longer an issue in our day, we shouldn’t worry about mixing wool, linen, or other fabrics. This law is a good example of something that is no longer binding upon Christians today because the pagan custom the law guarded against is no longer practiced. However, in our modern age there are important distinctions that have become blurred and things Christians must not participate in. The present-day blurring of distinctions between genders should be resisted by Christians.”

Men who have sex with a woman who is betrothed as a concubine must still be scourged and offer a trespass offering. This rule reinforces the value God places on women.

Why the prohibition against harvesting fruit from newly planted trees until the fifth year? That length of time will allow the trees to be well established.

“‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying. You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.” All these practices are typical of several different pagan cults. God wants His people to avoid all such practices.

“‘Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness.”  It’s likely that the kind of prostitution referred to here is temple/ritual prostitution. Some pagan parents will offer their daughters as temple prostitutes as a means of gaining virtue. This practice existed up into the twentieth century; Amy Carmichael, the famous missionary at Dohnavur, India, had a ministry rescuing children of both sexes from temple prostitution.

“‘You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord.”  This is God’s bottom line: above all, God wants us to continue to honor Him and His commandments.

APPLICATION: This list seems like some kind of ecclesiastic grab bag; however, the underlying concern remains the same: practical holiness. God doesn’t His people behaving like pagans. What about the injunction against tattoos? The tattoos referred to here are marks made to indicate dedication to a particular deity or idol. Cutting marks was used as a form of grieving after a death.

What about the rules against divination and soothsaying? What about horoscopes? What about Ouija boards or fortune tellers? Isaiah 8:19 tells us, “When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? There are only two sources of information: God or Satan. God by His very Nature is truth, while Satan is the Father of Lies. God has promised that when we need guidance, He will freely give it. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” (Psalm 32:8) Tempting as it might be to sneak a peek at your horoscope, don’t.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to consult You and not demons when we need guidance. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Moral and Ceremonial Laws

”And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.  ‘Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.  ‘Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the Lord your God.  ‘And if you offer a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, you shall offer it of your own free will. It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day. And if any remains until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire. And if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It shall not be accepted. Therefore everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the hallowed offering of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from his people.

‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God.

‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. ‘You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning. 

You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. ‘You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord.

God continues to show His people the ways of holiness. Why be holy? Because God is holy; if we really worship Him, we should strive to be holy as well. Now God is describing the ways of practical holiness and of loving our neighbors.

1. Keeping the Sabbath and respecting the peace offering by consuming it by the second day. That meat will begin to rot by the third day anyhow; why not share it with the poor while you can? When else will they get good meat to eat?
2. Leaving harvest gleanings and part of the grapes in the vineyard behind for the poor. Those gleanings might mean the difference between life and death for those people.
3. Refusing to steal, lie, cheat, swear falsely, or misuse the Name of the Lord. In an earlier age, one of the finest compliments someone could receive was “His/her word is his/her bond.” Such people were men and women of integrity and could be counted on.
4. Refusing to cheat, rob, withholding a worker’s wages when you know he/she needs that money. Tantalizing people in such a fashion is cruel, and God hates cruelty!
5. Refusing to curse the deaf (who cannot hear you and therefore don’t realize you are angry with them) or leaving something in the path of the blind over which they might stumble. God wants His people to have compassion for the disabled. In ancient times, people believed that God must have specially cursed the disabled for them to suffer their disabilities. God wants His people to know that is absolutely wrong.
6. Judging justly and refusing to bear tales. “Discretion is the better part of valor” has been a common saying for years. Unfortunately, social media platforms serve to encourage people to spread all kinds of vicious rumors. Even before online social media existed, “bush telegraph” social media was alive and well and operating full tilt, destroying reputations in the process.
7. Refusing to hold grudges. God wants His people to settle differences quickly and peacefully. Later, St. Paul would advise the Ephesians, “Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:26-27) The longer we hold a grudge, the more likely we are to do something horrible or stupid in revenge.
8. Steadfastly keep the Sabbath and respect God’s sanctuary. If we refuse to honor God’s Sabbath and to respect the place of His worship, we are demonstrating disdain for the Creator of the Universe, the One who holds our breath in His hands.

APPLICATION: We have spent much of our lives working with poor people. There is nothing inherently virtuous about poverty; there are some poor people who have become bitter and greedy. But many times, we have found that the poor are more appreciative and grateful than those with more wealth. Here in rural Ghana, it’s common for people to demonstrate gratitude by giving guinea eggs or guinea fowls and tubers of yam to those who have helped them. Repeatedly, we have been the recipients of such gifts, and it is always humbling. At the same time, we do as much as possible to help those with catastrophic illnesses who may have no money with which to sustain themselves while in hospital, let alone settle their bills later.

God wants us to practically demonstrate His love and care to those around us. We can always share something. One story making the rounds is that of a family who attended a church that was doing a special offering for missions. Although the parents made small salaries, the children quickly organized and earned money by running errands, mowing lawns, etc. When the missions offering was taken, it totaled $100, a large amount in those days. What people failed to realize was that this poor family with little means had contributed $80 of that offering! The next time you are shopping, why not buy a few  items and donate them to the local food bank or to neighbors who need help? If you don’t have money, visit people in nursing homes or make phone calls to elderly neighbors and relatives. These people are generally not on social media platforms and may be cut off from caring attention.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be conscious of those around us who need help. Guide us so that we will help practically and effectively. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Unlawful Sexual Relations (Matthew 5:27-30)

“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD your God. You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs. You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God. Keep My statutes and My judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them. I am the LORD.

None of you are to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD. You must not expose the nakedness of your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her. You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father. You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere. You must not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, for that would shame your family. You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister. You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative. You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s close relative.

You must not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations with her; she is your aunt. You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sexual relations with her. You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother. You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. You are not to marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sexual relations with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved. You must not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is still alive.

You must not approach a woman to have sexual relations with her during her menstrual period. You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her. You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination. You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion.

Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves. Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.

But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations—neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you. For the men who were in the land before you committed all these abominations, and the land has become defiled. So if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it spewed out the nations before you. Therefore anyone who commits any of these abominations must be cut off from among his people. You must keep My charge not to practice any of the abominable customs that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the LORD your God.”

Having laid out the instructions for appropriate sacrifices, God now turns to  the topic of sex, and the list of “don’ts” is eye-popping. God begins by warning the Israelites to shun the “anything goes” sexual practices of both the Egyptians and the Canaanites. God begins by warning the Israelites, “None of you are to approach any close relative to have sexual relations.”  Having made that blanket statement, God now elucidates in this command in great detail. Why so many different rules? God knows that if He omits a single illicit relationship, the Israelites will indulge in that one. God wants His people to be holy, to honor Him, and to honor one another. Reading this list, we realize that God anticipates that there will be polygamous families with multiple wives and half-siblings. Sex within the family circle is expressly forbidden.

One interesting point is the statement: “You must not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is still alive.”  Those of you familiar with Bible stories will immediately ask, “But what about Jacob marrying Leah and Rachel? They were sisters.” True. But those events took place before God gave the Israelites these commandments. And if you remember, things weren’t exactly calm in Jacob’s family; there was constant friction, and Joseph’s older brothers were more than willing to sell him into slavery.

“You must not approach a woman to have sexual relations with her during her menstrual period. You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her. You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination. You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion.” Sex during menses is forbidden because of respect for menstrual blood and the fact that the woman is ritually unclean. Child sacrifices are forbidden, as is homosexual sex. Finally, sex with animals is also forbidden.

“Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves. Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.”  Lands are not spiritually neutral, and the demons that have inspired previous evil practices remain to inspire new groups of people unless those people are properly prepared. God is trying to “demon – proof” the Israelites.

APPLICATION: Why has God given all these regulations? God fully recognizes how important sex is and He wants it to be enjoyed as one of His good gifts and not used to bring dissension in families, murder, or warfare. The evil or good we do can help build up or tear down a land. I have previously mentioned the Transformations film series in which lands as far apart as Fiji and Guatemala have been healed when their inhabitants have forsaken idols and turned to worship the One True Living God. How bad do people have to be for their land to vomit them out? The ancient Israelites entered Canaan but quickly took up many of the pagan practices they found there. Eventually, the citizens of the Northern Kingdom were slaughtered or carried off to Assyria while those in the kingdom of Judah were exiled to Babylon.

We live in an age where pornography and human trafficking are more prevalent than ever before. Parents posting photos of their beautiful children on social media may be unwittingly making them targets for kidnappers. The revolting and degrading practices to which these children may be used are as bad as anything the Egyptians or Canaanites ever thought of. We must continue to fight such evil and to encourage those around us to worship God in the beauty of holiness and to pray for the healing of our lands.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we may have sinned in ways that have stained the lands where we live. Lord, heal us! Heal our lands! In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

The Place of Sacrifice

“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them this is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp or outside of it instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD before His tabernacle—that man shall incur bloodguilt. He has shed blood and must be cut off from his people.

For this reason the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they have been offering in the open fields. They are to bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and offer them as sacrifices of peace to the LORD. The priest will then sprinkle the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons to which they have prostituted themselves. This will be a permanent statute for them for the generations to come.’

Tell them that if anyone from the house of Israel or any foreigner living among them offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice but does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD, that man must be cut off from his people.

Laws Against Eating Blood

If anyone from the house of Israel or a foreigner living among them eats any blood, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. Therefore I say to the Israelites, ‘None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner living among you eat blood.’

And if any Israelite or foreigner living among them hunts down a wild animal or bird that may be eaten, he must drain its blood and cover it with dirt. For the life of all flesh is its blood. Therefore I have told the Israelites, ‘You must not eat the blood of any living thing, because the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it must be cut off.’ And any person, whether native or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean. But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, then he shall bear his iniquity.”

 

At first, this chapter seems weird! Why is God worried about someone slaughtering an animal? Is God demanding that the Israelites become vegetarians? The verb used here for slaughter is the verb specifically denoting ritual sacrifice, not mere butchering. “They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons to which they have prostituted themselves. This will be a permanent statute for them for the generations to come.’  Tell them that if anyone from the house of Israel or any foreigner living among them offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice but does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD, that man must be cut off from his people.”

HMM! God isn’t forbidding a neighborhood barbecue; God is forbidding people from sneaking off into the desert or up on top of mountains to sacrifice to GOAT DEMONS!!! Another translation says, “Hairy ones.” Here goats are probably serving as representing any demons going. Previously, the people were hung up on the Egyptian goddess Hathor, represented by a cow, hence the golden calf. It seems that the Israelites are more than willing to take up with any demonic god they encounter. “OOH! Child sacrifice? Why not!” “OOH! Fertility rites? Sounds good to me!”

God wants His people to be holy in everything, including their worship. Any sacrifices the Israelites choose to make must be brought to the Tent of Meeting so that the blood can be handled properly, offering it to the Lord. But what if someone is out hunting and kills an animal or even finds a freshly killed animal or bird and wants to cook and eat it? The life of that animal or bird is in the blood, blood that also is used to sacrifice at the altar of the Most High Place. Out of respect for the holiness of blood, the Israelites are enjoined to drain the blood of a freshly killed animal and then cover it with dirt so that no wild animals can get at the blood.

APPLICATION:  There are some people who use these verses from Leviticus to justify not giving blood transfusions. But consider the reason for transfusion: Transfusions are only administered when a patient might die otherwise. I work in a part of Ghana where small children came in very pale due to the destruction of their red blood cells by malaria parasites. If we can transfuse quickly enough, the children will be fine; if not, they might die. Blood transfusions are truly life-giving; therefore, in a very real sense, blood transfusion honors God’s principle that blood is life. Any health worker can testify that transfusions are handled very carefully and respectfully, from the screening of donors to the collection of blood to the administration of the transfusion.  

Christians have another reason for holding blood in respect: it is the Blood of Jesus sacrificed for us on Calvary that saves us from our sins. When we accept what Jesus has done for us and believe on Him, we are assured of eternal life.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, thank You for sending Jesus to shed his priceless blood for our sins so that we might have eternal life. We confess that we are sinners who cannot free ourselves and that only the blood of Jesus will pay for our sins. Thank You that when we believe on Jesus, we are assured of eternal life. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

The Day of Atonement

”Now the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered profane fire before the Lord, and died; and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

“Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering. He shall put the holy linen tunic and the linen trousers on his body; he shall be girded with a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired. These are holy garments. Therefore he shall wash his body in water, and put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering.

“Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness.

“And Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull as the sin offering which is for himself. Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil. And he shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die. He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. There shall be no man in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. And he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord, and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, cleanse it, and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

“And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

“Then Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of meeting, shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and shall leave them there. And he shall wash his body with water in a holy place, put on his garments, come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people. The fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. And he who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. And they shall burn in the fire their skins, their flesh, and their offal. Then he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

“This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. And the priest, who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father’s place, shall make atonement, and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments; then he shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year.” And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.”

When these ordinances are given, Aaron has just watched two of his sons be consumed by holy fire because they have gotten drunk and invaded the Most Holy Place, waving around censors with fire that God has not commanded. Aaron has gotten so distracted that he has allowed the animal for the sin offering to be totally burnt up and has then offered a specious excuse to Moses. Now God is laying down rules for high priests to make atonement for the entire nation.

God starts by warning Aaron not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, “lest he die.” Then God orders Aaron to bathe and to dress appropriately, bringing a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering. The congregation of Israel is to provide a ram for a sin offering and two other goats. The priest must first slaughter the young bull to atone for his own sin before he can act on behalf of the people. Next, the priest must slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people. Each time, the priest must burn incense, covering the mercy seat with incense, and sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. By so doing, the priest is making atonement for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar. WHY? Because all these things, wonderful as they are, have been created by humans and are not perfect; therefore, they need to be reconsecrated at intervals.

“And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.”

Ever wonder where the phrase “scape goat” originated? Here you go! One goat goes up in smoke while the other gets set free but must symbolically bear the sins of the people into an unknown place. After certain parts of the sin sacrifices are offered on the altar, the remainder of the bodies are carried outside the camp and burned.

These are God’s instructions for establishing the annual Day of Atonement, now known as Yom Kippur. “This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. “

Why does God insist that the Day of Atonement be a day of absolute rest for everyone? God wants His people and everyone associated with them to be totally focused on Him and not on anything else. Even today, observant Jews celebrate Yom Kippur with prayers, fasting, and religious services.

APPLICATION: Why must the high priest make atonement for his own sins? Hebrews 5:1 tells us, “Every high priest is appointed from among men to represent them in matters relating to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and misguided, since he himself is beset by weakness. That is why he is obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.”

Sin can only be paid for with blood, but the blood of animals can never serve as a permanent sacrifice, hence the institution of the annual observance. But Jesus Christ has come as a sinless, blameless, perfect man and has shed his blood on Calvary. Jesus has become the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of mankind. John 3:16-18 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”  We don’t have to wait for an annual celebration; we can celebrate this magnificent gift of eternal life on a daily basis. Let’s pray!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and praying for us. Lord Jesus, thank You for living as a man and shedding Your blood on Calvary for us. Lord, we believe in You; help our unbelief! In Your mighty and precious Name, Lord Jesus. Amen.

The Law Concerning Bodily Discharges

”And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean. And this shall be his uncleanness in regard to his discharge—whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is stopped up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness. Every bed is unclean on which he who has the discharge lies, and everything on which he sits shall be unclean. 

And whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. He who sits on anything on which he who has the discharge sat shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. And he who touches the body of him who has the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. If he who has the discharge spits on him who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 

Any saddle on which he who has the discharge rides shall be unclean. Whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until evening. He who carries any of those things shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. And whomever the one who has the discharge touches, and has not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. The vessel of earth that he who has the discharge touches shall be broken, and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.

‘And when he who has a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in running water; then he shall be clean. On the eighth day he shall take for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and come before the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and give them to the priest. Then the priest shall offer them, the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord because of his discharge.

‘If any man has an emission of semen, then he shall wash all his body in water, and be unclean until evening. And any garment and any leather on which there is semen, it shall be washed with water, and be unclean until evening. Also, when a woman lies with a man, and there is an emission of semen, they shall bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

‘If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. Everything that she lies on during her impurity shall be unclean; also everything that she sits on shall be unclean. Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. And whoever touches anything that she sat on shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. If anything is on her bed or on anything on which she sits, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. And if any man lies with her at all, so that her impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

‘If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean. Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and whatever she sits on shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity. Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. ‘But if she is cleansed of her discharge, then she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. And on the eighth day she shall take for

herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and bring them to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the priest shall offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for the discharge of her uncleanness.

‘Thus you shall separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness when they defile My tabernacle that is among them. This is the law for one who has a discharge, and for him who emits semen and is unclean thereby, and for her who is indisposed because of her customary impurity, and for one who has a discharge, either man or woman, and for him who lies with her who is unclean.’ ”

God is infinitely practical, and He knows that His people are going to develop various kinds of discharges. The rules for men and women are basically the same. If anybody with a discharge touches anything, that object must be considered as unclean. Those having chronic discharges are barred from entering the temple or going out into society so that they won’t infect anyone. Anybody touching a contaminated object must wash and be considered unclean until evening.

Men having sex with a woman with a discharge will be considered unclean. Women with discharges will be unclean until the discharge stops. Once a discharge stops, the patient is to wash and count seven days. On the eighth day, the patient is to offer a sacrifice; two turtle doves or two young pigeons. One bird will be sacrificed and the blood used to anoint the patient while the second bird will be set free as a symbol of the patient being freed from the curse of the discharge.

APPLICATION: Reading these regulations, we might wonder what happens if someone has a discharge and never gets healed. On the other hand, what potential danger would such individuals pose to those around them? Without any antibiotics, someone with a bad case of running sores from staphylococcus could spread their illness to untold numbers of others in crowded places such as the market, worship services, etc. Ask any school nurse how quickly impetigo can race through an entire classroom or even through an entire school!

Luke 8:43-48 tells the story of a woman with a chronic discharge who had already suffered for twelve years when she saw Jesus passing. This poor woman had spent all her money and was still a social outcast. Taking courage, this lady crawled close to Jesus, touching the hem of his garment. Immediately, the lady was healed and Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. Jesus encouraged the woman to go her way because her faith had made her well. Presumably, after the healing, the lady went on to the priests and underwent the rituals described here.

These days, patients with discharges no longer are social outcasts, nor do we still need to make sacrifices for healing. But there are still arguments for some forms of isolation in certain illnesses such as meningitis, pneumonia, TB, etc. Once more we realize that God is giving His people rules so that they can remain as healthy as possible. This is the same God who promises to give us “a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) Let us follow Him!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You that it is Your perfect will for us to be healthy. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.